Let’s be honest, anxiety is not a stranger to any of us. We’ve all had times when our minds have taken control of us, creating elaborate stories about things that could go wrong and installing fear and uncertainty. Anxiety is a horrible feeling, but the good thing is, we can train ourselves to control our overactive minds and keep negative thoughts at bay.
So what do we do when we catch ourselves overthinking about something and notice our mind jumping to assumptions and focusing on the worst-case scenario? We get out of our heads, that’s what. Meditation and breathwork are potent ways to settle our thoughts and find presence, as are journaling, nature, and creative pursuits.
But what about when we need to get a hold of ourselves quickly? Reading overthinking quotes takes just a minute or two and acts as an instant reminder that we are not our thoughts. Words of wisdom and affirmations can help us stop the web of negative thoughts growing in our minds and remember that we have the power to control our minds.
So, if you’re feeling anxious right now, read through this list of overthinking quotes and notice your worries start to ease.
1. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain
2. Remember, the talking about the thing isn’t the thing. Doing the thing is the thing. – Amy Poehler
3. We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by thinking about everything. Think. Think. Think. You can never trust the human mind anyway. It’s a death trap. – Anthony Hopkins
4. Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded. – Buddha
5. Put your thoughts to sleep. Do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking. – Rumi
6. Put your thoughts to sleep. Do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking. – Rumi
7. So many thoughts, my kvothe. You know too much to be happy. – Patrick Rothfuss
8. Overthinking is parasitic. It’s viral. It’s deadly, even. – Genereux Philip
9. I can’t help but think,’ Park would say during taekwando. ‘I can’t turn off my brain. – Rainbow Rowell
10. We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them. – Albert Einstein
11. Overthinking will not empower you over things that are beyond your control. So, let it be if it is meant to be and cherish the moment. – Mahsati A.
12. Thinking too little about things or thinking too much both make us obstinate and fanatical. – Blaise Pascal
13. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. – Steve Jobs
14. Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. – Benjamin Franklin
15. As so often happens in life, he had thought so much and so often of the situation that now confronted him that he was somewhat nervous in its presence. – Sherwood Anderson
16. When you lose your ego, you win. It really is that simple. – Shannon L. Alder
17. Doing something that is productive is a great way to alleviate emotional stress. Get your mind doing something that is productive. – Ziggy Marley
18. I have not been able to traverse the entire landscape of my creativity. I have travelled far and wide, and I have never got away from myself. – Vineet Raj Kapoor
19. Oh, how I’ve envied the lives of those who could spend life sitting down. A place to sit, a place to sit! I’d lament, circling my empty chair. – Wolfgang Hilbig
20. The more I think about it, the more I realize that overthinking isn’t the real problem. The real problem is that we don’t trust. – L.J. Vanier
21. If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times. – Dean Smith
22. Don’t overthink things. Sometimes you can convince your head not to listen to your heart. Those are the decisions you regret for the rest of your life. – Leah Braemel
23. I think and think and think, I’ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it. – Jonathan Safran Foer
24. People who overthink knows that they overthink, it’s not something they can control. – Sarvesh Jain
25. If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath. – Amit Ray
26. Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, “What else could this mean? – Shannon L. Alder
27. If you want to conquer overthinking, bring your mind to the present moment and reconnect it with the immediate world. – Amit Ray
28. Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff. – Robert Eliot
29. You only have control over three things in your life, the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take. – Jack Canfield
30. You know, it is a little-known fact that thinking is entirely overrated. The world would be a much better place if we all did a lot less of it. – Laurie Viera Rigler
31. By morning I was worn out. My limbs felt heavy as wood, my head cottony. I might’ve felt better if I hadn’t slept at all. – Ransom Riggs
32. My mother said the cure for thinking too much about yourself was helping somebody who was worse off than you. – Sylvia Plath
33. While you were overthinking, you missed everything worth feeling. – Nitya Prakash
34. In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. – Theodore Roosevelt
35. Spend eighty percent of your time focusing on the opportunities of tomorrow rather than the problems of yesterday. – Brian Tracy
36. Be careful not to appear obsessively intellectual. When intelligence fills up, it overflows a parody. – Criss Jami
37. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
38. A crowded mind, Leaves no space, For a peaceful heart. – Christine Evangelou
39. We are trying to divide the cake, which is not even baked. – Sukant Ratnakar
40. My father taught me not to overthink things, that nothing will ever be perfect, so just keep moving and do your best. – Scott Eastwood
41. Although difficult, change is always possible. What holds us back from making the changes we desire are our own limiting thoughts and actions. – Satsuki
42. Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will. – W. Clement Stone
43. Now is definitely the best time to start, though Yesterday would have beaten it easily. – Kalpesh Jain
44. The more you rationalize, the more you move farther away from your authentic self. – Shannon L. Alder
45. Don’t get too deep, it leads to over thinking, and over thinking leads to problems that doesn’t even exist in the first place. – Jayson Engay
46. Overthinking ruins moods and kills good vibes. – Supa Nova Slom
47. The more you overthink the less you will understand. – Habeeb Akande
48. Thinking has, many a time, made me sad, darling; but doing never did in all my life… My precept is, “Do something, my sister, do good if you can; but, at any rate, do something. – Elizabeth Gaskell
49. Stop worrying about what tomorrow may bring. Focus on what you can control. Stay positive. Enjoy today. Expect good things to come. – Karen Salmansohn
50. Most of us never stop to consider our blessings; rather, we spend the day only thinking about our problems. – Bernie Siegel
If you found this list of overthinking quotes helpful, you may want to print them off and keep them in your bag for times when anxiety creeps in. Better yet, why not memorize your favorite ones, using them as affirmations to come back to whenever you need them.
Combining these overthinking quotes with daily meditation and breathwork will help you rewire your thought patterns and strengthen your ability to reject unhelpful ideas before they wreak havoc in your day and your life. Over time, you’ll notice your mind is naturally calmer and at ease, even when challenges arise.
